Drafts is the English word for . . .checkers . . right? That’s what I answered to win Jepoardy for Playstaion tonight in the Final Jeopardy round. I am very happy to report that I won $19,999 in Playstation money for answering that question correctly.
BUT WAIT!!! My fiancee is NOT so happy. She answered that what we Yanks refer to as “darts” is actually what the Brits refer to as “drafts”, and she is NONE TOO HAPPY!!! She INSISTS the GAME is WRONG, and of course, since she was in England once, SHE is RIGHT!!!
And of course, since she wagered all her earnings, she lost ALL her money, and is NOT PLEASED.
Dopers. . … help me out here. Which is it? Our relationship hinges on the answer . . . .
Draughts: black and white chequered board, round, black and white pieces: move one piece one square diagonally at a time, jump over one of your opponent’s pieces to take it.
Darts: Round board on wall. Throw pointy things at it from six feet away. Kind of like archery (without the bow) but small enough to be played in the pub.
To add insult to your fiance’s injury (I’m into that sort of thing), I was just reading an article on neural networks in nature magazine and it said:
“The game in Chellapilla and Fogel’s case is not chess but checkers, or draughts as it is called in Britain.”
While I don’t think the article was written with british terms in mind, as can be noted by the british term being used parenthetically, nature is published in the uk and so you’d think they would catch such a mistake if it were present.
if you should tell your fiance that, just remember, frozen slabs of meat will ease the swelling
The only thing a nonconformist hates more than a conformist is another nonconformist who does not conform to the prevailing standards of nonconformity.
As near as I can tell you have two choices, ugly. You can tell her 1) she was wrong and that everyone says so, or you can tell her 2) you were wrong, that you apologize, and that there must be some way you can make it up to her.
Of course the facts of the case are not the important issue here. After a while you can stop even considering number 1) and just go immediately to number 2). It saves a lot of wear and tear to go directly to wear you’re going to end up anyway without any meaningless detours.
My advice is:
Tell her you’re right, in the sentence use the words “In your face, loser!” and then do a victory dance. Also write down the date and time of the event so you can bring it up on subsequent occasions.
I know all the secrets to a successful relationship.
Also, I would suggest buying a little notebook where you can keep a record of all the times she was wrong. This can only help your relationship. Furthermore, I would also use the tactical manoeuvre of pulling the book out of your pocket, scribbling something down (while she is talking) and putting it back in your pocket without saying anything. This will surely establish you as the Alpha dog in the relationship - soon your word will never be questionned.
